Process and apparatus for applying a cover on cigars



April 16, 1968 b. HEWA N 3,378,015

PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR APPLYING A COVER ON CIGARS Filed Oct. 20, 1965lnvenfor: Darn kfm'eol H f United States Patent ,a 5 Claims. (Cl.131--20) ABSTRAQT 0F THE DISCLOSURE A process and apparatus for applyinga coating on cigar rolls in a closed chamber by holding the rolls in anatmosphere substantially saturated with solvent vapors and then dryingthe coated rolls outside the atmosphere.

This invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the applicationof a cover on a cigar filler through application of a mass consisting ofparticles of tobacco and a solvent solution onto the tiller and asubsequent evaporation of the solvent.

From the German Patent No. 469,304, cigars have already been known whichhave in place of the customary cover leaf or wrapper, a mass applied tothe filler, wherein the applied mass consists of a mixture of acellulose ester solution, especially an acetyl cellulose solution, withfinely powdered tobacco. The applied mass, after evaporation of thesolvent, will form a coating on the filler, which coating is to take theplace of the rolled-on cover leaf or wrapper. The application of themass on the cigar filler may, according to this German patent, beaccomplished by hand or through any kind of device, thus, for example,through submerging of the cigar filler into the applied mass or else byspraying on or painting on of the mass onto the cigar filler.

The production of such cigars is supposed to be cheaper than that ofcigars which are wrapped transversely in the conventional manner into astrip of cover leaf, and they are supposed to have the advantage, ascompared to cigars covered with a rectangular sheet of tobacco foil usedas a cover leaf, that the folding in of the casing of the cover leaf atits ends may be omitted and a better shape can be achieved. In practice,however, the production of such cigars is accomplished with considerabledifficulty.

If one applies the application mass in the customary manner onto thefiller then, as a result of the evaporation of the solvent in the airwhich starts very soon, a skin will form on the layer which in itself isstill fluid, and by the unavoidable flow of this mass underneath theskin, the latter will tear, so that the coating becomes uneven. Since,moreover, the applied mass running down on the object leads to thedevelopment of thick spots or drips, the cigars produced in such amanner have an ugly appearance which cannot even be covered up byapplication of a powder.

The disadvantages of this known process will be particularly noticeablein those cases when the fillers are submerged into a mass whose solventis relatively highly volatile at the working temperature. During thesubmersion process, more material will be carried out from thesubmersion vessel by the filler, because of the viscosity of the appliedmass, than is actually necessary for the formation of the cover leaf.The surplus quantity of this mass will drip away, which will takeseveral minutes. If the evaporation of the solvent will start during thedripping away process, then the above mentioned skin will form, whichwill tear under the flow of the dripping mass. Finally, an elongateddrop will form at the lowest point of the cigar filler, which will nottear off any more but 3,378,015 Patented Apr. 16, 1968 l ice which willsolidify in that shape and which will have to be cut off mechanically,without there being any possibility to achieve a point for the cigarwhich would have a pleasing shape.

The process according to the present invention has for an object toprovide the filler to be coated with a layer of the applied mass, in thedesired thickness, in an atmosphere of vapors of the solvent which iscontained in said applied mass, and that one then expels the solvent.

Preferably, the application is accomplished by submersion of the fillersinto the mass and that 'one then allows the fillers to drip in theatmosphere of the solvent.

Preferably one should submerge the fillers perpendicularly in the masswithout their touching each other. At the same time, it will beparticularly favorable to hold them at that end which is to be the endto be lighted and to reverse them before the last drop will fall OK, sothat the top now will point upwards. The small remaining surplus of theapplied mass will now run back and will be deposited on the top of thecigar while solidifying said top.

The time of submersion should be within the time limit of one minute,and the dripping time should be within the time limit of three minutes.However, one can either use less time or more time and this will dependentirely on the quality and consistency of the applied mass.

The drying of the coated filler is accomplished in the air, preferablywith some heated air.

The application of the cover by submersion of the fillers into theapplied mass is particularly attractive because as far as the process isconcerned and the apparatus, it is not at all complicated. The appliedmass is hard to spray becaues of its viscosity and because of thecontents of solid tobacco particles, and the painting of the mass on thecigar filler, if not accomplished by hand, presupposes complicatedpainting devices which are prone to breakdowns. However, the method ofoperation according to this invention is also applicable to this type ofapplication of the mass onto the cigar filler, since here too one muststill count with the flowing off of the excess quantities of the massapplied and one must still prevent the formation of a skin or thesolidification of the drops as they are running ofi.

Since the quantities of solvent which are still present, either on or inthe cigar filler after the dripping off period, can only be recapturedwith a considerable expenditure in apparatus, it will be appropriate touse a solution for the applied mass which is as concentrated aspossible, in order to save solvents. But it is exactly in the case ofthick applied masses where the above mentioned difficulty exists, and itis a particular advantage of this invention that it makes possible theprocessing of highly concentrated solutions.

The applied mass will have more or less a tendency for sedimentation.Therefore, it is advisable to keep it in motion constantly, or from timeto time, in order to prevent a deposit.

The kind of solvents used for the applied mass will depend on thebinder. Since tobacco leaves will swell under the influence of water andthereby experience changes of shape, one will give preference to organicanhydrous liquids, where a swelling of tobacco would not occur. Solventswhose vapors are heavier than air are particularly well suited, in orderthat one could more easily produce and maintain with them the desiredgaseous atmosphere. For cellulose ether, such as methyl cellulose orethyl cellulose, methylene chloride will be particularly suitable as asolvent, prehaps in a mixture with methanol. For acetyl cellulose,therefore for a cellulose ester, chloroform would be suitable as asolvent, for the acetone soluble cellulose hydroacetates, acetone ormixtures of acetone and methyl or ethyl alcohol.

1f the dipped in cigar fillers have cover leaves made of the 'well knowntobacco foil, then one must pay attention 7' to the fact that thebinders of this tobacco foil must not be soluble in the solvent used forthe applied mass; cover leaves made of tobacco foil with water solublesolvents such as gurn arabic, tragacanth, agar-agar and so forth, arepreferred, whenever organic solvents with methylene chloride are used.Inversely, tobacco foils from cellulose ester or ether are suitable foruse as a cover leaf, whenever aqueous applied masses are being used.

Particularly, in the case of tobacco fillers with a natural cover leaf,the danger exists that the cover leaf will become unwound through theinfluence of penetrating water.

All film forming substances are pertinent as binders for tobaccoparticles, which substances are soluble in certain solvents. They mustbe unobjectionable physiologically and naturally they must not impairthe tobacco taste while burning.

The tobacco particles in the applied mass should not be too fine. Theaddition of fiber-shaped tobacco particles has proven particularlyfavorable, as could be obtained in a grinding mill with a ,5 mm.-slot.Crudely powdered or fiber-shaped tobacco particles will lead to a coverlayer of greater strength and toughness than would finely groundmaterial.

By the process according to the present invention, and particularly bythe use of a submersion device according to the invention, one willachieve that the cover leaf produced from the liquid applied mass willnot form entirely evenly, whereby the uneven places of the cover leavesare leveled and its overlappings are closed. Thus one will obtain acigar which in its exterior is superior even to those with a normal drycover leaf.

The device according to the invention for the application of a coverleaf by submersion of the cigar filler in accordance with a processaccording to the invention has been characterized by a closed chamberwith lateral and upper walls, an entrance opening, an exit opening and afloor tub, which is filled at least in one section with the applyingmass at a height corresponding to at least the submersion depth, as wellas by a device for the submersion of cigar fillers at the abovementioned section and an arrangement for the transportation of thesubmerging fillers from the entrance opening to the submersion device,as well as for the transportation of the submerging fillers from thesubmersion device through the chamber to the exit opening.

As a holder for the cigar fillers during the accomplishment of theprocess according to the invention, needles have proven themselves asparticularly suitable. It is best to unite these needles in the form ofneedled boards, and these again can be combined into fields or groupsand can be handled in larger units. Preferably, the cigars will beplaced on the needles with the end to be lighted, which can beaccomplished either by machine or by hand. At the same time, the cigarfillers are not to touch each other, in order to make possible theformation of the cover sheet on each filler without disturbance.

Preferably, the submersion section of the floor tub has been developedas a special vessel. The submersion device consists either of oneelement which lowers the cigar fillers in their support into thesubmersion vessel, or else in a lifting device which will lift thesubmersion vessel to a point toward the cigar fillers heldconstantly asto height, whereby the latter Will dip into the applying mass.

The shape of the floor tub may be constructed in such a manner that thematerial dripping off from the submerged fillers will flow backautomatically into the submersion vessel. However there also may be apumping arrangement provided which will move back the material that hasdripped down from the lowest spot of the bottom tub into the submersionvessel. This pumping device will thus simultaneously keep the applyingmass in motion, as a result of which sedimentation is prevented. Forthis purpose one could also provide instead of the 4 above arrangementin the submersion vessel or in addition to it, a stirring apparatus.

The floor tub may be uniform across its whole length, and in that caseit must be filled everywhere to the required height with the applyingmass. Then a special application vessel will become unnecessary and thetransportation arrangement may be constituted by one single conveyingchain or similar object, which will run from theentrance opening to thesubmersion device or from the submersion device to the exit'opening ofthe chamber. This conveying chain will then run in such a manner that itwill transport, on the one hand, the cigar fillers on their support fromthe entrance to the exit opening of the chamber and that, on the otherhand, it will move them vertically in such a manner that the cigarfillers are dipped into the application mass at the entrance side of thechamber, so that they are kept in said application mass for the desiredtime and they are then pulled out again, and then transported above theapplication mass, so that the surplus may drip off. In order to keep thevolume of the application mass located in the chamber fairly small, itwill be advantageous, however, to equip the chamber with an inclinedfloor and merely to maintain a supply of the liquid at the requireddepth in the actual submersion section.

The conveying of the submerged fillers from the submersion device to theexit opening may be accomplished horizontally orobliquely. During theupward conveyance one must make sure that the material dripping off frompreceding fillers will not drop onto the succeeding fillers.

The invention will be further explained by reference to the accompanyingdrawing by way of example.

The drawing shows a longitudinal section through an apparatus or plantfor the application of the cover leaf, according to-the invention, bydipping the cigar fillers into the application mass.

A usual cigar comprises a filler which is composed of scraps of tobaccoleaves and possibly small stems in a mass. The filler is rolled in aninner or first tobacco leaf or sheet of tobacco foil and this inner leafwith the fille is known as a roll.

With conventional cigars, the roll is rolled in an outer or secondtobacco leaf, the so-called wrapper. According to the dip coatingtechnique, to which the invention relates,

- the roll is coated with a film of tobacco particles and a suitablebinder, instead of being wrapped in a separate wrapper. Since the rollwhich in thed rawing is referred to by the reference character 11, inany case carry the inner tobacco leaf there is no substantial danger offalling from the conveyor 10. The inner wrapping of course must not bedeteriorated by the solvent which is contained in the coating mixture.

The cigars equipped with a cover leaf are placed on pin studded boardswith the end that is to be lighted. Twenty-six cigar fillers, as shown,each are united" in double rows on one pin studded board. Ten pinstudded boards each are combined into one group and are pushed throughthe opening 3 by means of the conveying arrangement 10, onto thesubmersion device 8, 8a. The entrance opening 3 is closed by means of aflap that can be operated rapidly, but it can also be developed in theform of a sluice, in order to prevent te escape of vapors of thesolvent. Inside of the chamber, a slight underpressure can be maintainedfor the same reason by means of a blower, but only insofar as one hasmade sure that no substantial quantities of air will be sucked in fromthe outside. At the entrance side of the chamber 1, there is asubmersion vessel 8a, and this vessel is filled with a liquid which iscomposed as follows:

5 parts by weight of methyl cellulose of medium viscosity 250 parts byweight of methylene chloride parts by weight of methanol 50 parts byweight of tobacco powder.

Another mixture would be for example:

10 parts by weight of sec. acetyl cellulose 300 parts by weight ofacetone 100 parts by weight of tobacco powder.

The tobacco powder may be obtained through tearing up of tobacco leavesin a grinding mill whose slot had been adjusted to 100 mm. The structureof the tobacco particles is fibrous. According to its saturation steampressure, the solvent will fill the inside space of the chamber 1 withits vapors.

The hoisting or lifting cylinder 8 will lower the pin studded boardsresting on the rails 8b as one united group into the vessel 8a, so thatthe cigar fillers will be ubmerger entirely into the mass. Instead ofthe lifting cylinder, there may also be used a cable line. Furthermore,one could also raise the vessel 8:1, for example, by hydraulic meansinstead of lowering the fillers. The submerging process will lastapproxmately one minute and will be controlled by the correspondingoperations of the lifting element.

During the submersion process the next rail group 10 will be prepared.The new rail group 12, which had been pushed by mechanical operation,will replace the rail group 9 which had in the meantime been immersed,so that the next rail group will be suspended above the container ofliquid. Through some visual signal one will have a guarantee that thenext rail group 12 will not be pushed in prior to the completion of thesubmersion process.

Through the displacement of the rail group with the cigars that hadalready been submerged, this rail group 9 pushed onto a conveyor chain7, which is operated electrically, and which will transport this railgroup 9 within a period of about three minutes up to the opening 4. Thedripping time will be adjusted by synchronization of the transportationspeed with the length of the charm her, which here amounts to about 500cm. height and width of the chamber will amount to about 100 cm.

During the transportation by means of the conveyor chain 7, the excessof liquid, which is not required for the formation of the liquid coversheet, will drip off from the cigars. Since this dripping off takesplace in an atmosphere saturated by vapors of the solvent, the solventitself cannot evaporate. As a result of that, it will be avoided thatthe liquid will solidify during the dripping oft process and form a skinwhich will be drawn downwards over the top of the cigars and beyond, andwill form a casing there which will tear because of its weight and whichwill destroy the cigars. The liquid needed for the formation of thecover sheet will combine with the covering leaf into the liquid coversheet.

Simultaneously, tthe submersion into the liquid and the subsequentdripping oil process will cause the smoothing out of the uneven parts ofthe cover leaf, so that the liquid covering sheet which developsafterwards will envelop the cigars completely and evenly like a normaldry cover leaf. Furthermore, as a result of that, the end to be lightedand the top will be fixed. At the same time, the liquid will also closethe overlapping of the cover sheet.

As soon as the individual rail groups have reached the opening at 4,they will be removed by hand. Devices for the removal in a mechanicalway are also suitable and possible. The pin studded boards aresubsequently stood up in a wind channel (not shown), in such a mannerthat the cigars will stand in this wind channel facing upwards. The pinstudded boards move on a conveying chain for a period of about minutesthrough this wind channel through which heated air will move (about +3C. above the wind channel, the cigars will dry. Subsequently the cigarsare powdered, packaged and made ready for shipment according to thecustomary method.

The residue of liquid, which had dripped off in chamber 1, is collectedon discharge on metal sheets 2 which carry the liquid into a sump 14.This sump is emptied through the operation of suction pump 13. Thesuction pump 13 will pump the liquid into the submersion vessel 8amentioned in the beginning. The required quantity of liquid will berefilled from time to time.

The turn around of the cigars prior to introduction into the windchannel will add very much to the purpose, because as a result .of thatthe formation of droplets will be prevented. And, above all, thequantity of the application mass, which in the case of a cigar suspendedin the wind channel would form such a drop at the lowest spot of thecigar, would in case of a standing cigar additionally strengthen thetop, that is, the tip of the cigar and make it mechanically insensitive.

Because the top is taken into the smokers mouth during smoking, it isalso exposed to considerable wear. perhaps within the first threeminutes a droplet would always form in the wind channel in the case of asuspended cigar, and said droplet would only be an impediment during thefurther processing and would have to first be removed.

I claim:

1. A process for providing a cover on cigar rolls comprising dipping therolls into a mass of tobacco particles and a solvent solution includinga cellulose derivative binder, removing the rolls from said mass,permitting the excessive amount of particles and solution to drip offand then holding the rolls in an atmosphere which is substantiallysaturated with solvent vapours permitting the evaporation of the solventfrom said coating whereby drippingoff is substantially completed so thata solvent-wet and substantially non-flowable coating of tobaccoparticles and binder is formed on the rolls, and drying the coated rollsoutside of said atmosphere.

2. A process according to claim 1, in which the rolls are submerged intothe mass in a vertical direction, and the rolls being suspended fromtheir ends where they are lightest, and reversing the rolls before thelast drop falls 011 from the rolls after removal from said atmospherecontaining solvent vapours.

3. A process according to claim 1, in which a viscous mass is used whichcontains the tobacco in the form of coarse particles and which isprovided with high binder concentration.

4. An apparatus for applying a cover on cigar rolls comprising asubstantially closed chamber casing, having an entry opening in one endof the chamber casing, and an exit opening adjacent an opposite end ofthe chamber casing, a first tank near the entry opening of the casingand mounted in the casing, a trough-like container mounted in thechamber casing adjacent the tank, means to dip suspended cigar rollsinto the tank, and conveying means to convey the dipped cigar r-ollsthrough a space in the chamber casing above the trough-like containerand finally to the exit opening, said trough-like container slopingtoward a second tank for receiving excess solvent deposited on thetrough-like container, means for returning solvent from said second tankto said first tank and means for substantially preventing the entry ofair through said openings into said chamber.

'5. An apparatus according to claim 4, in which means are provided tosuspend the cigar rolls vertically on the means to dip the rolls intothe tank in groups, and in which the suspension means include needles ofwhich one is for each roll.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 217,990 7/1879 Clark 131-133371,990 10/1887 Stone 13188 X 1,511,729 10/1924 Humphreys 1184251,716,250 6/1929 Thiele. 2,368,130 1/1945 Fox 118--423 HUGH R. CHAMBLEE,Primary Examiner.

